The shock displayed by the political, financial and media establishments regarding the recent UK EU referendum and US election results, after assuming the outcomes of both & proven totally incorrect, clearly shows the current levels of detachment and disconnect. Politicians and main stream news outlets have and continue to avoid the reasons built up over many years that have driven public sentiment to its lowest ebb and why.

Reasons such as an increased risk of terrorist attacks and an ongoing large-scale refugee and migrant crisis in the EU, the fall out of failed foreign policy decisions. Decisions that have created chaos in the middle east and Africa driven by conflict and the spread of fundamentalist Islamic ideology.

Chaos and instability created and exacerbated by the invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Libyan air campaign and proxy support of armed insurrections in an attempt to spread democracy to countries ill prepared for such change. All lacked the necessary planning post intervention and the understanding of intricate tribal, political and cultural structures within societies that they sought to reform.

An ever-increasing wealth divide and a stagnation of social mobility at best although many are actually less well off in real terms than a decade ago. The direct fall out of failed monetary policies including the deregulation of the financial sector leading to the largest recession in decades with little accountability forthcoming.

A Lack of investment in housing stock, infrastructure, schools and hospitals during the economic growth years of the 2000’s leading to increased social pressures laid bare once the recession struck.

A rapid decrease in property and real estate value during the recession in line with a rapid decrease in jobs meant many would lose their homes. Ultimately this allowed wealthy individuals and companies to purchase housing stock at rock bottom prices and move them into the rental market.

Following the recession, property value began to recover and the rental market grew rapidly meaning ever-increasing rental costs in tandem with ever-increasing deposits required to purchase property at prices many times that of the average wage.

Large higher education fees justified by the recession despite future generations bearing no responsibility for the reasons that drove the financial crisis in the first place. The last piece of the consumer led debt driven economy puzzle ensuring that those still in higher education are shackled with debt even before entering the world of work.

Main stream media news outlets are equally detached from large sections of society, made crystal clear during 2016. However, rather than focus on the elephants in the room and how they got in the room, they seek to direct attention and blame away from themselves and the established political, technocratic and financial order that has led public sentiment to this point.

While distributing overtly biased reports in clear favour of a choice (Remain in the UK EU referendum, Hillary Clinton in the US Election) they point to, and assert that the UK EU referendum and the US Election results are due to tens of millions of uneducated, white, racist, bigoted and deplorable citizens who wish to turn back the clock. In doing this they have effectively become propaganda outlets attempting to directly influence the electorate.

It is the lower, working and middle classes that have directly suffered and continue to suffer from the fall out and ramifications of these catastrophic decisions made by the political establishment, financial institutions and elites time and again. It is not simply a ‘white vote’ which many MSM news outlets are carelessly asserting, this is creating further division within society despite alleged concern already over division within society.

An article in the Monkey Cage section of The Washington Post reported on the 11 November 2016 that:

‘Trump actually performed slightly worse among white voters than Mitt Romney did. He did, however, perform better than Romney among blacks, Latinos and Asian Americans, making it more difficult to claim that racial resentment was the dominant factor explaining Trump’s support nationally.’

These are just a few examples making up the many reasons why public sentiment toward the political, financial and media establishments are at an all time low in the UK, US and Europe. This sentiment has grown year on year while trust and belief in the system has ebbed away, ultimately reaching a tipping point in 2016.

It is an indictment of failed decisions, catastrophic choices and the fall out of these made by the detached political establishment, technocrats, financial institutions and elites of society over at least 15 years. Choices that have directly led to the many social pressures, continued wealth divide and political unrest we see today.

However, and true to form, in ignorant and disconnected fashion they seek to redirect attention from their catastrophic choices and decisions, instead capitalizing on the fall out from them.